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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/30032691">Since I Found Serenity</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Trees_Are_The_Answer/pseuds/Trees_Are_The_Answer'>Trees_Are_The_Answer</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Batman - All Media Types, Miraculous Ladybug</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Daminette, F/F, F/M, M/M, MariBat, One-Shot</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-16 00:20:03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,194</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/30032691</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Trees_Are_The_Answer/pseuds/Trees_Are_The_Answer</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>I have this vision in my head of that scene near the end of "Serenity" when everyone's injured except River and she dives through the closing blast doors and the only thing everyone can hear is Gruesome Battle Sounds and then silence, meanwhile River is kicking ass and then the wall gets blown apart and the military comes in.</p><p>Except in my head Mari is River and the Batfam are the military, and Mari's friends from Paris are the Serenity's Crew Members.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Luka Couffaine, Chloé Bourgeois/Kagami Tsurugi, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug/Damian Wayne</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>112</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Since I Found Serenity</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I have a multi-chapter fic that refuses to be written.  So here's a LENGTHY one-shot that popped into my head and shouted at me until I wrote it down.  I don't know if I'd call the description of violence graphic.  But gunfire is mentioned a time or two, so do with that what is best for you.</p><p>I've got zero context for this scene.  Use your imagination!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>Not good.  <span class="u">So</span> not good!</em>
</p><p>All around him, his friends were bleeding, panicking, or unconscious.  Only he and Marinette remained relatively uninjured—but he was trying to care for Luka, who had taken a dart laced with fear toxin to the neck, and their bag of supplies was well out of reach, soon to be inaccessible.  Marinette was breathing unevenly, her hands clutched at her hair and her eyes stared at the ground, wide and unseeing, and Adrien feared she was nearing the Point of No Return.</p><p>They’d taken refuge from Scarecrow and his minions in a shipping container at the back of the warehouse, but the villain was quickly approaching, and the group was quickly out of options.  Adrien stood to retrieve the bag, but it was then that the bullet lodged in his stomach—a normal bullet, not laced with fear toxin—and his eyes blew wide before he toppled backward.  Marinette was at his side in an instant, clinging to his hand with tears in her eyes.</p><p>“Don’t—Adrien, don’t go.”</p><p>“I don’t…want to leave,” he panted.</p><p>Her expression changed at that.  He did <em>not</em> like the look she was giving him.  She hadn’t gone to that place in her head where he couldn’t reach her, but the fierce glint in her sapphire eyes wasn’t much better as far as he was concerned.  It was fiery and determined and told him she was most definitely about to do something very brave and very reckless.  He’d spent years doing everything in his power to keep her safe, and in this moment, he knew she was about to put herself in more danger than she’d ever been in before.</p><p>“You won’t,” her voice reached him from far away, suddenly focused and calm.  “You’ve spent so long protecting me, taking care of me…”</p><p>She dropped his hand and stood, turning to face certain death.</p><p>“Now it’s my turn.”</p><p>Gun fire erupted and the raven-haired woman dove forward, rolling under an onslaught of bullets and sliding the black bag back toward him before she launched herself upright and sprinted through the double doors of the shipping container.</p><p>“MARINETTE!”  The scream ripped from deep within him, causing pain from the bullet wound to ripple out from his stomach through the rest of his body.</p><p>It was no use.  She was slamming the doors shut, the force enough to slide the outside latch into place, and none of them were in any condition to try to follow or stop her.  Adrien was forced to endure listening to the chaos outside their safe haven, forced to imagine what could be happening to the tiny French-Chinese girl who’d become so like the sibling he’d wanted when he was a child.  The shouting and the shooting bored into his brain, and he shut his eyes, covered his ears against them; but that did nothing to stop the images that flooded his brain.  How many times had he watched her fall, watched her get beaten or thrown against walls or crushed under buildings?  It didn’t matter that she’d survived all those disasters: witnessing them always made him want to be violently sick.  It was his job as her partner to keep her safe, and he hadn’t been very good at it.  They’d won their battle in Paris thanks to their team and their Miraculi, but this was <em>Gotham</em>, and they weren’t transformed.  There would be no Miracle Cure that could heal his friends’ injuries or bring his sister in all but blood back from the dead.</p><p>His heart lifted slightly as the sounds of fighting continued.  Marinette was certainly holding her own.  He’d opened the bag and was rifling through it.  He could honor her sacrifice by keeping the rest of them from dying.  He could do that much for her.  There wasn’t much he could do for himself—he’ never had to remove a bullet from anyone, much less pull one from somewhere in his own body and then stitch himself back up.  The most he could do was slap a bandage over the hole and hope for the best.  After that had been taken care of, he scrambled for the syringe of antitoxin for Luka.  He was still thrashing and whimpering in the corner.  Adrien knew he wouldn’t be able to stand, let alone walk, so he opted for scooting across the floor to the musician’s side.  Trying to not think too hard about it, he jabbed the needle into his neck and sighed in relief when he went limp.</p><p>Across the way, Kagami and Chloe were propped up against the side of the container.  Kagami had her head tipped back and was breathing deeply while blood ran down the side of her face.  Chloe was leaning against her shoulder, entirely unaware of anything.  They’d barely managed to pull the blonde inside after administering the antitoxin.  Kagami raised her head and her exhausted eyes met Adrien’s grim face.</p><p>“She’ll make it, Adrien.  I know she will.”</p><p>--</p><p>As a civilian, Marinette had always been friendly and loving; perhaps a tad scatterbrained due to the number of projects and favors she agreed to do, and a little anxious—especially around people she found attractive—but she was respectful (at the very least) to everyone she met.  But as Ladybug, she <em>shined</em>.  She could say the things she longed to be brave enough to say as Marinette, she could help people in need and could help keep her city safe.  Ladybug, Chat Noir, and their team had defeated Hawkmoth, and with that, Marinette’s stress had lessened by at least half.  But it didn’t mean she was less anxious than before.  If anything, the trauma of those years of constant vigilance and policing her emotions had made her anxiety exponentially worse.  So much so that Adrien had taken to acting as her shield out of the mask as well.</p><p>So, when the opportunity to return the favor presented itself, Marinette hadn’t hesitated.  Watching the bullet sink into his gut had somehow halted her panic, made the world around her go silent as she stared in horror.  But the next choice had been simple, as easy as breathing.  She had eons of Ladybug training ingrained in her brain, even if Tikki was tucked safely away in the earrings in her purse.  She was the fastest of anyone in the group that had come with her to Gotham, she could retrieve the bag of medical supplies and draw the villain away from her team.  She could keep them safe one more time.</p><p>She’d told Adrien it was her turn to protect him, pressed the panic button in her pocket—a gift of sorts from her favorite vigilante—and dove for the doors.  They’d clanged shut with finality, and then the group of henchmen were upon her.  She moved with a ferocity and efficiency she’d never had in Paris.  She’d never needed to, not when she was fighting against victims not in their right minds.  But the men around her, pointing guns and swinging blades, were well aware of what they were doing.  Still, she had no notion of killing anyone, just incapacitating them.  She wasn’t a murderer, even if it could be argued her actions were in defense of herself and her friends.  Her family.</p><p>Yes, she was quite specific about her rejection of killing anyone.  She was a bit…<em>fuzzier</em> on the subject of kneecaps.</p><p>There was a gun in her hand—she didn’t know how it had gotten there—and she emptied the clip into several legs nearby.  The bodies belonging to those legs dropped to the ground and she made quick work of gathering several of their fallen weapons, kicking the others out of reach.  The pattern continued; all around her bodies fell, the groaning punctuated by gunfire.  In the distance, sirens wailed; but Marinette had a singular focus.</p><p>Disable Scarecrow.</p><p>She had no sense of how long she fought, punching and kicking and shooting her way through wave after wave of minions—god, how many men worked for this guy?!—but ultimately, she was face to face with her target.  And she had no bullets left in the last gun she’d taken.  All she had left was a pair of switch blades and her wits.  It would have to be enough.</p><p>The villain sauntered toward her, she thought perhaps he was talking, but her ears were ringing in the aftermath of all the shooting.  And with the burlap sack obscuring his face, she couldn’t read his lips.  But his intentions were clear when he raised the canister in her direction.  One blade left her hand in a blur and lodged itself in his wrist.  The canister fell and rolled toward her.  She took one look at the offending object, noticed it had ruptured on impact, and kicked it away from her.  Her fears were more than she would be able to handle at the moment.  She snapped her gaze back to the injured creep before her, although a shadow flickered in her peripheral vision.  His hooded face moved from where he’d yanked the blade from his arm.  She had the distinct feeling he was glaring at her, despite not being able to see his face.  They moved for each other at the same time.</p><p>--</p><p>The gunfight seemed to be over.  It was silent for a moment, then a dull, metallic thunk sounded, followed by another minute of silence.  And then the shouting started, and someone was opening the doors to the shipping container.  Adrien had no desire to see what they’d done to Marinette.  There was no way she’d survived through the chaos he’d heard.</p><p>“They’re here!”</p><p>The shout came from the doorway, sounding distorted, like the speaker was wearing a voice modulator.  Not Scarecrow, then.  And not the police.  There was no reason for an officer to disguise their voice.  Which left one of the local vigilantes.  Adrien raised his eyes, squinting at the light shining into the container.</p><p>“We have injured,” the voice sounded again, and a flurry of people rushed in.</p><p>White coats surrounded him.  There were red flashing lights outside.  Someone had called the police, and, hopefully, an ambulance.  Luka was struggling to sit up, an EMT supporting him.  Chloe was being lifted by a vigilante, Kagami was supported by another, and Adrien found himself being directed to lie still while he was lifted onto a gurney and wheeled out with Luka in a similar situation.  He couldn’t stop himself from searching for her…for Marinette’s body.</p><p>He couldn’t see her among the groaning men scattered on the ground.</p><p>“Mari?  <em>Marinette?!</em>”</p><p>They had to have taken her body already, they wouldn’t just leave her here among these…there wasn’t a word strong enough.  The thought of his sister’s small body lying on a stretcher under a white sheet made his throat close, made him want to scream.  The sounds around him faded into ringing, the edges of his vision darkened, his breath came in harsh gasps.  He hardly registered the foreign hands on him, couldn’t make out the words of the emergency workers trying to calm him.  None of it mattered, not when Marinette was dead.</p><p>“Adrien!  Adrien—let me through!  ADRIEN!!”</p><p>The voice like bells broke through the ringing.  Was he dying?  Was she there to greet him then?  Or would she send him back to live without her, adding to the list of family he no longer had?</p><p>A familiar silhouette forced its way into his vision.  Bluebell eyes met his, filled with tears that were splashing on his cheeks.</p><p>“Adrien, wake up, come back!  Please!  I’m here, Adrien, I’m not going anywhere, you’re going to be fine...”</p><p>So, he got to stay then.  He wondered who else he would see—his mother?  Master Fu?  What would happen to Plagg and Tikki?</p><p>The world faded away.</p><p>--</p><p>Strong, familiar arms wrapped around her, held her back as Adrien and Luka were lifted into the ambulance and it sped away toward Gotham General Hospital.  Her knees gave out as her brother and brother-in-arms raced away from her into the night.  Those same arms still held her, but they no longer restrained.  Instead, they gathered her up, pulling her against a chest she’d come to recognize as warm and safe and <em>home</em>.</p><p>“He’ll be all right, Angel,” the baritone rumbled through her as he carried her away.  “They’ll take care of them both.”</p><p>She let herself be comforted by the sound of his voice, by the feeling of his arms around her.  They were hidden from prying eyes now, sequestered in the back seat of the Batmobile as she choked on dry sobs.  Robin’s presence beside her was enough to stave off a full-blown panic attack, but this feeling of dread, of her world collapsing around her was bad enough.  Adrien was the closest thing she’d ever had to a brother; if anyone asked, she always said she’d adopted him as her brother in lycée.  She couldn’t lose him.  Not now.  Not after everything they’d survived together.</p><p>“Marinette, Habibti, breathe,” he murmured, lifting her chin with his thumb and forefinger.</p><p>It wasn’t quite the same as seeing those gemstone eyes, but she could imagine the way they would shine with concern for her.  She took a shuddering breath, and then another.  Slowly she calmed.</p><p>“Once you give your statement to Gordon, we’ll take you to the hospital.  I’ll have to leave you, but one of us will stay until I can come back as me.  Adrien will live through this; we’ve all lived through worse.  And we’ll be with you the entire time.  You aren’t alone, Angel.  Remember that.”</p><p>His words were a lifeline, one she desperately needed to keep from drowning in panic and despair.  She leaned into him and he held her close for a moment more before she moved to find Commissioner Gordon.</p><p>--</p><p>Someone was crying nearby.  The sound was soft, but unmistakable.  There were other sounds—an incessant, rhythmic beeping coming from somewhere above his head, the low hum of machinery and far away chatter—but he couldn’t focus on those.  The quiet sniffling and occasional whimper were familiar, calling to him, demanding his attention, urging him to <em>fix it</em>.</p><p>Adrien opened his eyes to a dimly lit, entirely unfamiliar room.  Unfamiliar, but not unrecognizable.  Because a hospital room is a fairly universal thing.  Why was he in the…oh.  <em>Oh</em>.  He’d survived being shot in the stomach.  Huh.  But then, the vision of Marinette… had he hallucinated her eyes above him, her screaming for him as he lost consciousness?  He must have, the chance she’d survived the number of shots he’d heard had to be inconceivably slim.  So, who was crying in his room?  He dared to raise his head a little, and saw a dark head hunched over his hand on the hospital bed.  Hope surged through him.</p><p>“M…Mari?” he croaked.</p><p>Her head shot up so quickly, he was worried she’d fall backward.  But it was her!  Kagami had been right—she’d made it!  The sudden flood of adrenaline through his system was enough to turn his stomach and he had to clamp his mouth shut to keep from being violently sick in his own lap.</p><p>“Oh god, Adrien,” she breathed, and then began crying in earnest as she brought his hand to the side of her face.</p><p>“Bugaboo, I—I’m okay…I think.  I mean, I assume.  You don’t need to cry, I’ll be <em>fine</em>.”</p><p>Something about his words—or maybe his tone of voice—stopped her short.  Her eyes flashed dangerously.</p><p>“You were <em>shot</em>, Adrien.  Don’t you dare tell me you’re <em>fine</em>.  You were in surgery for two and half hours, and I had no idea what was happening, and American health care is a <em>disaster</em> and what if something had gone wrong?!  How was I supposed to—”</p><p>“Breathe, Marinette,” he scolded her.</p><p>If she was panicking like this now that he was awake, what must she have been like during the surgery?  Had she been alone?!  He looked around the otherwise empty hospital room, hoping Damian or even Bruce had come to stay with her.  He could see no sign of anyone else.</p><p>“Have you been by yourself?” he asked, careful to keep the accusation from his voice.</p><p>Adrien liked Damian despite the man’s tough exterior—he reminded him a little of Felix, honestly—but he wasn’t sure he’d ever approve of anyone dating Marinette.  Although, he supposed, if anyone was going to get even close to good enough for her, Damian was probably the one to do it.  It was obvious he loved Marinette, and clearer still that she was madly in love with him, and the youngest Wayne was only slightly less protective of her than Adrien was.  So how could he have left her alone in this strange and terrifying place?</p><p>“No,” Marinette assured him.  “Damian’s here.  He stepped out when Bruce called a few minutes ago.  I’m glad,” she admitted quietly.  “I don’t want him to see me like this.  He already had to watch me break down when they took you to the hospital.”</p><p>So, the Bats had shown up.  How had they known where to find them?  His face must have betrayed his confusion because Marinette ducked her head and her cheeks flamed.</p><p>“I called them as soon as you were shot.  Robin gave me a panic button in case of emergencies.  I probably should have used it earlier, but I didn’t really think about it until it was almost too late.  You know I’m not very good at asking for help.”</p><p>He wanted to scold her again but remembering how she’d selflessly—recklessly!—put herself at the mercy of Scarecrow and his men stopped him.  He swallowed around the panic that threatened to choke him.</p><p>“How?” he whispered.  “How did you make it through all of that, Mari?”</p><p>She refused to meet his eyes.</p><p>“I…I don’t know.  It’s not like I had a plan, Adrien.  I just…acted.  I didn’t really think about it, honestly.  I think…I think all the training I’ve done with Tikki and the past Ladybugs…I think it was instinct.  I honestly don’t remember much of what happened until all the Bats got there, and then the police and the ambulance.”  Her voice became strangled, and her eyes welled with tears again.</p><p>Adrien squeezed her hand again.</p><p>“We made it, Bugaboo.  How’s Luka?  And Chloe and Kagami?”</p><p>She nodded, wiping her eyes with the sleeve on her free arm.</p><p>“They’re okay.  They want to keep Chloe overnight for observation, but Luka and Kagami have been discharged.  I think Luka was waiting to see you until after we talked.  I heard he was terrified for you in the ambulance.  They almost had to sedate him.  I wish I could have seen that,” she almost laughed, “he’s usually so calm.”</p><p>Adrien shook his head, grinning a little.</p><p>“I’m glad I missed that.  Two of us awake and freaking out would not have been a good time for the paramedics.”</p><p>“<em>Please</em>, Agreste, this is Gotham.  Two panicking victims of Scarecrow would be a tame night for them.”</p><p>The scoff coming from the doorway caused Marinette’s head to whip toward the sound at a speed that made Adrien wince.  How was that not painful?</p><p>“Damian.  What did Bruce say?  Is everything okay?  Do you need to go?”</p><p>Green eyes rolled, but a gentle smile graced Damian’s face as he approached the side of the bed.</p><p>“Relax, Angel.  Father was just checking in.  He wanted to know if you needed anything, and he assured me he’s making arrangements for both Chloe and Adrien after they leave Gotham General.  If you’re up for it, Agreste, you’re welcome to stay with us at the manor.”</p><p>“Thanks, Damian.  If it’s not too much trouble, I’d like to do that, at least until I’m clear to go back to Paris.  I’m assuming I’ll need to do some post-op follow-ups here first.”</p><p>Damian nodded.</p><p>“I would assume.  And Chloe is welcome, too.  There is plenty of room, and I don’t imagine a Bourgeoise would accept anything less than the best accommodations.”</p><p>Marinette snorted and Adrien had to agree with her wordless assessment.</p><p>“You imagine correctly,” he answered.  “Tell Jason to steer clear of her.  She might succeed in killing him again if he annoys her too much.”</p><p>Now Marinette rolled her eyes, even as she stood and leaned into Damian’s side.</p><p>“She’s better behaved than that, and you know it.  We’ll get out of your hair, Adrien.  I’ll let Luka know you’re awake.  I know you two need some time.”</p><p>She squeezed his hand as he thanked her and then she left, curled into Damian’s embrace.</p><p>It wasn’t long before Luka came rushing in, looking disheveled and worried and not at all like his normal, composed self.  Adrien soaked up the sight of him, standing and safe and well.</p><p>“Adrien,” Luka choked before collapsing into the chair Marinette had just vacated.</p><p>He whispered to him, assuring him he would be okay, telling him how grateful he was he was there and that he was safe, wiping the tears that rushed down his cheeks and soaked into the bed sheets.</p><p>--</p><p>Marinette glanced back at Adrien’s room.  Luka had been in there for five minutes, and there was no sign he would be leaving soon.  Adrien was in good hands.  The sounds and smells, the bright lights humming overhead were oppressive.  She turned her attention to the man beside her.</p><p>“I think…Damian, I want to go home now.  I can’t be in here anymore.”</p><p>His arm tightened around her.</p><p>“I’ll get you home, Habibti.  Yours or mine?”</p><p>“Yours please, if that’s okay.  I don’t think I can stay in the apartment while everyone is still here.  Luka’s staying with Adrien, Kagami wants to stay with Chloe.  I won’t be able to sleep without them there.”</p><p>“You know the manor is always open to you, Marinette.  We can go right now if you’d like.”</p><p>She nodded and laid her head against his shoulder.  When they walked through the automatic doors, Alfred was there in the limo, waiting for them.  She thanked the butler and climbed into the back, followed by Damian.  As soon as the door shut behind them, he was gathering her into his lap and tucking her head under his chin.</p><p>When they reached the manor, he climbed from the limousine first, extending his hand to help her.  She was grateful for the support and continued to hold his hand as they made their way past the kitchen and Bruce’s study.  She could hear others somewhere else in the house but paid them no mind.  She just wanted some solitude.  Damian led her to the room she used when staying with him and made to leave her, but she held fast to his hand.</p><p>“Please stay,” she whispered.  Solitude rarely meant being entirely alone anymore.  He was her haven, her home.</p><p>“That is, if you can.  If you want to.”</p><p>“Of course I want to, Angel,” he murmured.  “I don’t have to be anywhere else tonight.  I’ll be here as long as you want me.”</p><p>Exhausted as she was, Marinette still couldn’t keep the wide smile from spreading over her face as she opened the door and pulled him after her.  In moments, they had changed into more comfortable clothes and were snuggled together under the covers in Marinette’s bed.  Damian traced soothing patterns on her back as he held her close.</p><p>“You were incredible tonight, Angel,” he said quietly.  “But I don’t think I’ve ever been so terrified in my life as I was watching you fight.  I know you can take care of yourself; you’ve always been immensely capable.  But we were too far away to do anything but watch while they shot at you.  I thought Todd would break ranks and go in first.  I would have gone if Father hadn’t stopped me.  But you were…I’ve never seen anyone move like that, Marinette.”</p><p>She gazed into his emerald eyes, trying to follow his train of thought.  He took a deep breath, seemingly trying to gather his thoughts before continuing.</p><p>“I don’t want you to go into things like that alone again.  Wait for us next time.  I know there wasn’t much choice tonight.  But you can call for help, Angel.  We’ll come running, I promise.  Don’t wait until you’re overwhelmed.”</p><p>She just hummed, refusing to acquiesce.  She still wasn’t used to asking for help.  She’d gone too many years being used as an example to her peers, living with the expectation that she would be independent.</p><p>“So, what now?”  Damian’s voice brought her back from her thoughts.  She cocked an eyebrow sleepily.</p><p>“Now?  Now, we sleep in until noon and prepare to live under the same roof as both Adrien Agreste <em>and</em> Chloe Bourgeoise.”</p><p>“Oh?  I can see the gears turning, even as you’re falling asleep.  You’re planning something.  Something Father will probably never recover from,” he laughed lightly.  “What are you thinking, Habibti?”</p><p>She was almost completely under by then, but still managed to answer.</p><p>“I aim to misbehave.”</p>
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